Lions trade rumors Chase Young DeAndre Hopkins among best deadline options to bolster Detroits playoff chances
Lions trade rumors Chase Young DeAndre Hopkins among best deadline options to bolster Detroits playoff chances
Blog Article
The Lions entered the 2023 NFL season with a lot of hype. Thus far, they have lived up to it. Entering their Week 8 "Monday Night Football" clash with the Raiders, the Lions have a 5-2 record. They are in first place in the NFC North and sport one of the best records in the entire league. With a win over the Raiders on Monday, they would be just one game back of the Eagles for the NFL's best record. Lions general manager Brad Holmes and coach Dan Campbell deserve a lot of credit for what they have accomplished in Detroit. The former has added a lot of talent to the team via the NFL Draft while the latter has established a culture of effort and accountability. Of course, the Lions like every other NFL team still have some weakne ses that they may want to addre s before the 2023 NFL trade deadline pa ses. Their defense could use some reinforcements while their strong offense could use one more high-end piece to put it over the top. POWER RANKINGS: For what exactly should the Lions be looking? It's all about finding value, adding depth and, potentially, taking a big swing to bring this already strong team to the next level. Here's a look at some of the targets they could consider to do that as the NFL's 2023 trade deadline approaches. The Lions have a very good roster, but injuries have whittled away some of the team's depth and talent at some positions.Below are the positions that are most likely to be addre sed by Detroit if the team looks to make a trade deadline deal. Cornerback: Emmanuel Moseley and CJ Gardner-Johnson were supposed to be part of Detroit's starting nickel defense, with Moseley as the No. 2 corner and Gardner-Johnson in the slot, but they have suffered injuries that may be season-ending. Brian Branch has admirably replaced Gardner-Johnson in his do-it-all role but adding another outside starter could be a worthwhile move. Wide receiver: The Lions have gotten great production out of their receivers to begin the 2023 NFL season, and Amon-Ra St. Brown looks like a true No. 1 receiver. Even so, Detroit could stand to add another proven outside receiver to add depth to a thin unit. Taking a swing at a bigger-bodied receiverto compete with Josh Reynolds and Jameson Williams for playing time could help to further upgrade the team's receiver room and provide insurance behind the oft-banged-up St. Brown. Edge rusher: Aidan Hutchinson is breaking out in his second season and has been a big-time pre sure generator for the Lions. The team has gotten strong production acro s from him from John Cominsky and Charles Harris, and will it eventually get James Houston back, but adding a Penny Hardaway Jersey player to the pa s rushing rotation would only further upgrade this defense. MORE: (Getty Images) Donte Jackson, CB, Panthers There won't be a lot of cornerbacks available ahead of the 2023 NFL trade deadline, so Jackson represents one of the best players on the market. The 27-year-old hasn't always been consistent in coverage during his NFL career but he has great speed as evidenced by his 4.32-second 40-yard dash at the 2018 NFL Combine and has logged multiple interceptions in each of his first five seasons. Jackson hasn't intercepted a pa s yet in 2023, but the Panthers have largely struggled on that side of the ball. He could improve with a better supporting cast with the Lions and could emerge as the No. 2 cornerback that Detroit hoped Moseley would be. IYER: Kaiir Elam, CB, Bills Elam was a first-round pick by the Bills in 2022 but he hasn't lived up to expectations thus far. He has only been active for three games in 2023 and has allowed a pa ser rating of109.5 this season, per Pro Football Focus. A fresh start could benefit the 6-1 playmaker, Terrence Ross Jersey so the Lions may be content to buy low on the 22-year-old. Elam wouldn't be a starter right away for the Lions but he would at least give the team an intriguing depth option. Thus, he can't be ruled out as a potential acquisition. Patrick Surtain, CB, Broncos Surtain would be the biggest po sible upgrade the Lions could get for their secondary. He also isn't likely to be traded, as there are conflicting reports about whether the 3-5 Broncos would even consider dealing the 2022 All-Pro. But if Denver can be swayed with a Godfather offer, the Lions have to consider making it. Surtain has seven interceptions and 32 pa s defenses in 41 career games and would make a dynamic one-two punch with Cameron Sutton on the outside. It would take at least a first-round pick and a lengthy extension to land Surtain, but having him and Hutchinson long-term could significantly bolster Detroit's defense. Getty Images Mike Evans, WR, Buccaneers The Buccaneers dropped to 3-4 after their lo s to the Bills on "Thursday Night Football," but they're still just a half a game back of the NFC South lead. Thus, they may not actually become sellers despite Evans' pending free agency. But if the Bucs do decide to retool, Evans is arguably their best trade chip. The veteran has posted 1,000 receiving yards in nine consecutive seasons to start his career and is on pace for another 1,000-yard campaign in 2023. The 6-5, 231-pound playmaker would fit well with the Lions and help St. Brown to make the lives of defenses miserable with their physical play. Dan Campbell loves kneecap-biters, so Evans is probably high on the list of players he and Brad Holmes are looking at for their Halloween shopping. MORE: DeAndre Hopkins, WR, Titans Hopkins is coming off his best game with the Titans he caught four pa ses for 128 yards and three touchdowns against the Falcons but that may not be enough to save him from trade rumors. After all, the Titans just traded veteran safety Kevin Byard to the Eagles for a modest return, so why wouldn't Hopkins meet a similar fate if the 3-4 Titans can't contend? Despite being 31, Hopkins has shown no signs of slowing down. He's on pace for his first 1,000-yard season since 2020 and has stayed healthy thus far in 2023. He could potentially become a lethal partner next to St. Brown thanks to his do-it-all abilities, so the Lions should be interested in acquiring him as an outside receiver. But after Hopkins and Will Levis demonstrated great chemistry, the Titans may be hesitant to break up the rookie and veteran pairing. MORE: Jerry Jeudy, WR, Broncos Jeudy is probably the most likely of the three listed receivers to be traded, but there are questions about whether he would fit in with the Lions. He is certainly a talented player, but his effort when not targeted hasn't been consistent. That has caused him to fall short of expectations during his career. Still, Jeudy is only 24 and nearly eclipsed 1,000 yards last season while playing with Ru sell Wilson and Nathaniel Hackett. He could have a breakout year under the tutelage of Campbell and offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, so getting Jeudy's athletic upside might be a worthwhile gamble for Detroit. (Getty Images) Chase Young orMontez Sweat, EDGE, Commanders The Lions could have an interest in either one of Washington's top edge rushers. Both Young and Sweat will be free agents after the season and the Commanders can probably only afford to keep one after giving big money to their interior line duo of Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne. Young has more upside than Sweat at this time. He was the No. 2 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft and while injuries derailed the early portion of his career, he has generated 35 pre sures and five sacks through seven games in 2023. If the 24-year-old continues to improve, he could be a long-term partner for Hutchinson, who was also the No. 2 pick in his draft cla s. Of course, Young's upside will make him expensive to keep in free agency. The Lions may not be willing to give him a ma sive deal given his injury history, so that could have them look at Sweat, a more consistently productive end. Sweat has 35.5 career sacks in 67 games and is freakishly athletic for his 6-6, 262-pound frame. Either would bolster the team's pa s rush acro s from Hutchinson while giving them high-end depth at the pa s-rusher spot. Josh Uche, EDGE, Patriots A year after logging 11.5 sacks for the Patriots, Uche has just two and is playing Cole Anthony Jersey 26.5 percent of the snaps. That makes him a likely trade candidate and a productive one at that. Uche is undersized at 6-3, 240 pounds, but he is a good athlete and a try-hard player who could endear himself to Campbell. He was also teammates with Hutchinson at Michigan, so reuniting the two could create a dynamic pa s rush even if Uche is only used on a rotational basis. MORE: Danielle Hunter, EDGE, Vikings It would be hard for the Lions to get the Vikings to make an intradivisional trade involving arguably their best defensive player, but it's not impo sible. Brad Holmes and Kwesi Adofo-Mensah have a history of making trades, too, as the Vikings allowed the Lions to move up from 31 to 12 in the 2022 NFL Draft to select Jameson Williams. Could the same thing happen with Hunter? It's probably a long shot, but maybe if the Lions make a good enough offer, it could happen. Hunter has an NFL-high 10 sacks through eight games in 2023. Him and Hutchinson rushing on either side of the line would terrify opposing offensive coordinators and may be enough to help the Lions mount a legitimate Super Bowl run. Still, this is probably more of a dream scenario than anything else for the Lions. The Vikings are 4-4, after all, and may have their eyes on a playoff spot even after the season-ending Achilles injury to Kirk Cousins.
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